In a webinar on September 12, 2013, Croda focused on “Understanding the Multi-faceted Woman,” looking at how the approach for marketing beauty products to women will be set to change in the coming months in years. With an introduction and poll questions assists from Cara Eaton, marketing manager, communications, with Croda, Christophe Toumit, marketing manager for personal care brands for Croda, was the webinar’s speaker, sharing a vision about beauty market and product development for the future.

Toumit began by noting how beauty routines that have gone to the extreme—extreme makeovers, plastic surgery—are leading people to a worst-case scenario where they are estranged from themselves. He also introduced the Prismatic trend concept, in which people are looking transform their everyday world from ordinary to extraordinary, from a one-directional norm to multi-dimensional possibilities. This will introduce a paradigm shift in how we think about beauty and personal care, with new ways to harmonize ingredients and formulations for enhanced convenience, sensory experience and beauty.

Toumit also expounded on how women will likely be leading the way in the future, which will help usher in a paradigm shift in beauty. This paradigm shift will be consumers that alternate not just from one product to another, but from one regimen to another. This will likely take two, somewhat diverging paths, Toumit explained—adding complexity to a beauty regimen (with additional products such as illuminators, serums, toners and so on) or by simplifying the regimen (with multifunctional products such as BB and CC creams).

This paradigm shift will also introduce new opportunities for cleansing and care products for both the skin and hair. For example, Croda is now working on a formulation for a cleansing conditioner—a multifunctional product—Toumit shared.

Next, the webinar moved on to the Glocal (global plus local) consumer trend, in which the whole is greater than the summer of its parts. Toumit noted that this trend is urged on by a coming together of heritage (multicultural/ethnic pride) with hybrid (such as different ethnicities within the same family). Sharing that by 2025, 50% of U.S. population will be multicultural, he shared how this will lead to a beauty fusion, and how, going forward, the focus will be more on beauty products that focus on the specific needs of the skin and hair—not on the ethnic origin of the consumer.

This will lead to a greater openness from consumers to differentiating products, fueled by different influences built within a single individual (genetic, emotional, rational). This will also mean more consumers will likely be seeking multi-benefit products that address specific needs, such as shine and vibrancy products that depend on the natural nature of hair. Such trends with lead to synthesis products, such as those that combine TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) with modern science and technology.

For the final consumer trend, Toumit discussed Mask, which can be split into two—women seeking to hide/transform and those seeking to reveal/enhance for their beauty looks. Toumit noted that the hiding/transforming push is more from consumers who are less confident and are looking for makeup to change how they look, citing the rise of plastic surgery in places such as China and India. For the revealing/enhancing trend, consumers are looking for more holistic beauty, enhancing well-being and anticipating damage, as well as repairing them—more of accepting who you are and working to highlight it.

For the hiding/transforming trend, products such as sheet masks, which are hot in Asia, highlight the need for change, while SPF/sun care and products such as illuminators and hair care products for gray and white hair helps capture the revealing/enhancing trend, said Toumit. Additionally, celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Meryl Streep, who are encouraging aging gracefully, are having an impact. This is leading to consumers thinking more about anticipatory products, which will prevent damage and change, helping them to look more like themselves later into life. This is reflected in beauty ingredients and products being created that help offer a third generation of environmental production.

The webinar concluded with Q&A with Toumit, answering queries on how women are really driving these trends, while men are somewhat following in the wake, and how beauty trends are reaching more and more consumers globally all the time.